NHS stub-it-out aid helps 3,600 in Oxfordshire

MORE than 3,600 people in Oxfordshire were helped by the NHS to quit smoking, new figures show.

A total of 6,065 people registered with the service in 2013/14, of whom 3,616 said they had managed to quit.

Of these, 2,770 were confirmed to have stayed cigarette-free following a carbon monoxide test four weeks after the completion of their stop-smoking course.

This was compared to 6,279 people in the previous year, of which 3,703, or 58.9 per cent, said they had quit with 2,721 confirmed by the test.

The Smokefree Oxfordshire service provides nicotine replacement therapy – like gums and patches – via GP surgeries and also visits local businesses.

The Oxfordshire-wide service is funded by the county council’s public health team.

The county council’s public health chief, Hilary Hibbert-Biles, said: “We know smoking is both incredibly bad for your health and a challenging habit to break, so with smokers four times more likely to succeed when they get support, the role Oxfordshire Stop Smoking Service plays is vital.

“The service has all kinds of ways of helping. Many people access it through their GP but the group sessions at workplaces are a good example of their innovative approach.”

Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.

Ipsoregulated

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standardards Organisations's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a compaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here